He didn’t.
five
The fae tromped throughthe wildflower field, and when Orelia finally caught up to him, he quickened his steps.
“Can you slow down please? I can’t walk that fast,” she said, breathless.
He snorted, which she guessed meant something along the lines ofI don’t give a shit.
“Look, I know this isn’t ideal, and I’m sorry about what happened, but—”
He shot into the sky.
Orelia waited for the pain to lance through her body, but it never came. A few seconds later, she caught a glimpse of a dark shape sinking behind the roof of her house.
She broke into a brisk jog, not stopping until she made it into the garden.
The fae sat on the back steps with his elbows on his knees, leisurely picking at a blade of grass. “Pack your shit. We leave now.”
She panted, fanning her shirt. “What? Now? I can’t just leave.”
“You can, because I am not spending one second longer than necessary tethered to you.”
The blatant disgust in his voice was clear, but he was a fool if he thought she’d leave just because he said it was time. “I have lived here my whole life, so I can’t just pick up and go. We can leave tomorrow.”
He pointed at the house. “Get in there and pack a bag right now.”
Knowing he couldn’t kill her gave Orelia a bit of spine. “You don’t get to order me around, especially in my own home.”
He rose and stalked across the yard. Bulky arms may have been loose at his sides, but nothing about his predatory posture said ‘relaxed’.
Orelia craned her neck as he approached. It took everything in her not to cower.
Black eyes searched her face, flicking to her hair, then down her body, not a hint of emotion giving away his thoughts. He would make an excellent card player.
“Go. Pack. Now.”
She stood her ground. “Ask nicely.”
Quicker than she could register, he grabbed her by the back of the neck.
“Let go of me!” Orelia tried to pry his hand off, but he squeezed tighter. Her feet struggled to keep up as he forced her across the yard, making her look like a fool. “Let go, you asshole!” He shoved her up the porch steps and she tripped, catching herself just in time to avoid hitting the back door.
Orelia whirled, face red-hot. “What in the hells is your problem?”
He pointed at the house again. “Go, now. Before you piss me off even more.”
After a silent stare-down to determine who could glare harder, she finally yanked on the back door and stomped into the kitchen, cursing the mannerless bastard. Orelia ladled water from the basin into a glass and sipped on the cool liquid in an effort to calm herself. She mumbled more curses into her drink, things she was too cowardly to say out loud.
From her spot in the kitchen, she had a clear view of the top of the fae’s head as he sat on the steps. Orelia envisioned summoning the shovel resting against the railing andaccidentallysmacking him over the head with it.
She chuckled, then finished the water and headed into the bedroom. After retrieving the pack under the bed that hadn’t been touched in years, she began filling it with what little she owned.
She sat on the floor and used her magic to sift through the drawers, flicking a wrist and tossing aside items that weren’t absolute necessities. Orelia stuffed underwear and a breastband inside her pack, a pair of socks, a sleeping chemise, and a spare traveling outfit. The only pair of shoes she owned were the haggard boots on her feet, and her favorite emerald scarf was already tied in her hair. She tossed in her coin purse, lamenting at its light weight.
She felt under the bed for anything she may have forgotten, and her fingers found the weapons belt Tommen had bought her. She pulled the smooth, brown belt out, and there was a pinch in her heart as she trailed her fingers over the detailed leatherwork. She’d worn it when he’d asked her to spar to help him train for the king’s army. Since then, it sat hidden away collecting dust.
Duty had called Tommen to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a soldier, and though Orelia had implored him not to go and get himself killed, her love hadn’t been enough to make the blonde-haired, blue-eyed neighbor boy stay. To deepen the wound in her heart, he’d fallen into bad company and joined the Riders instead. She’d never forget his father showing up at her house, eyes red from crying as he showed her the letter from his son saying, ‘I can’t explain, but this is something I have to do.’ His parents had left Minro shortly after receiving the letter, and she’d had to watch the only people besides Teegan who had ever felt like family leave her too.
